Chandrayaan 3

 Chandrayaan-3

Chandrayaan 3   is a planned third lunar exploration mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It will consist of a lander and a rover similar to Chandrayaan-2, but would not have an orbiter. Its propulsion module will behave like a communication relay satellite. The propulsion module will carry the lander and rover configuration until the spacecraft is in a 100 km lunar orbit.

Chandrayaan-2, where a last-minute software glitch in the soft landing guidance software led to the failure of the lander's soft landing attempt after a successful orbital insertion, another lunar mission was proposed.

Goal

ISRO has set three main objectives for the Chandrayaan mission, which includes:

Getting a lander safe and soft landing on the surface of the Moon.

Observing and demonstrating the rover’s loitering capabilities on the Moon

In-site scientific observation making scientific experiments on the chemical and natural elements, soil, water, etc. available on the surface of the Moon to better understand and practice the composition of the Moon. Interplanetary refers to the development and demonstration of new technologies required for missions between two planets. 

Chandrayaan-3 comprises three main components

Propulsion Module

Chandrayaan-3 Propulsion Module

The propulsion module will carry the lander and rover configuration till 100 km lunar orbit. It is a box-like structure with one large solar panel mounted on one side and a large cylinder on top (the Intermodular Adapter Cone) that acts as a mounting structure for the lander. In addition to the lander, the module carries a payload called Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) to study the spectral and polarimetric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit.

Lander

Chandrayaan-3 Lander

The lander is responsible for the soft landing on the Moon. It is also box-shaped, with four landing legs and four landing thrusters of 800 newtons each. It will carry the rover and various scientific instruments to perform in-site analysis.

The lander for Chandrayaan-3 will have only four throttle-able engines,unlike Vikram on Chandrayaan-2 which had five 800 Newtons engines with a fifth one being centrally mounted with a fixed thrust. Additionally, the Chandrayaan-3 lander will be equipped with a Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV).The impact legs are made stronger compared to Chandrayaan-2 and increased instrumentation redundancy. ISRO is working on improving the structural rigidity and adding multiple contingency systems.

Rover

Chandrayaan-3 Rover

The rover is a mobile laboratory that will traverse the lunar surface, collect samples, and analyse the geological and chemical composition of the Moon. It is a rectangular chassis mounted on a six-wheel rocker-bogie wheel drive assembly.